In the last 10 years, Mat Williamson has won everything from crown jewel races to Super DIRTcar Series championships. However, since earning his first Series win at Merrittville Speedway in 2015, he hadn’t won another Series Feature in Canada.
The St. Catharines, ON driver broke that drought on Friday night, leading the final 96 laps to win the opening night of Fall Nationals at Brockville Ontario Speedway.
“Money Mat’s” $10,000 triumph is his fourth of the 2025 season, a win that had a special meaning to him.
“We had a tough week for my family,” Williamson said. “My Grandfather passed away this week, so it was cool to win this race that was obviously dedicated to him.”
Felix Roy, the SRI Performance and Stock Car Steel Pole Award winner, led the field to the green in the 100-lap Feature, trying to score his first Series win. The Napierville, QC, driver led the opening lap before the race’s first yellow flag flew for Brian McDonald, Tim Sears Jr., and Bobby Herrington, who tangled on the front stretch.
Given the choice on what lane to pick, “Hollywood” chose the inside of the double-file restart, putting Williamson on his outside. That was the break the defending Series champion needed, as he quickly drove around the No. 91 on the outside of Turns 1 and 2 to take the lead on Lap 5.
The yellow flag came out again one lap later, though, as Justin Stone brought out the caution on Lap 6 when he hopped the cushion in Turn 3.
When the race resumed, Roy lost another position to Darren Smith, who drove around him on the outside to move into second on Lap 9. The Binghamton, NY driver chased Williamson for the lead over the next 30 laps, until a yellow flag for Matt Sheppard, who had a right rear flat tire, slowed the field again on Lap 41.
Behind Williamson, Alex Payne started moving forward, aiming for his third consecutive win at Brockville. The Hopewell, NY driver restarted eighth on Lap 44 and used the outside lane to gain momentum by passing Peter Britten and Mike Mahaney to crack the top five by the race’s halfway point. Then, the “Slide Job Express” took advantage of a flat tire on Felix Roy’s car, moving him into fourth when the yellow came out again on Lap 52.
Like the previous restart, Payne gained momentum on the outside lane, taking over third from Erick Rudolph by the time they reached Turn 1 on Lap 55, and grabbing second from Smith on Lap 59. He started reeling Williamson in for the lead as well, before a spin by Sheppard gave him an opportunity during a double-file restart on Lap 72.
However, that restart was as close as Payne would get to earning another win at the Ontario facility, as Williamson drove away to earn his 35th career Super DIRTcar Series victory.
“That was the most intense 100-lap race I’ve done in a while,” Williamson said. “There was a lot of grip in the racetrack. A big cushion. It reminded me of the Midget I drove in Tulsa. You had to be elbows up.
“I know [Alex Payne] is really good here, and I had to be on my toes for sure.”
With his win, Williamson extended his Series points lead to 98 points over Alex Yankowski, who finished 10th, with four races remaining in the 2025 season.
Payne crossed the line second, earning his third consecutive Brockville podium and third top five in his last four races. While he moved up 10 positions, Payne said he got off to a slow start in Qualifying, but got better as the night went on.
“We just started to turn things around,” Payne said. “The track wasn’t very racy in the beginning, but once I got freed up, I was able to make some passes. Then all of a sudden, I found myself fourth, then second, and then I was racing for the lead. That was probably all I had.
“It was going to take quite a bit for me to get by [Williamson]. It was kind of the same story with him following me last time.”
Darren Smith finished third, earning his first Series podium of 2025. The driver of the Jeremy Smith Racing No. 12 said he was happy with his finish after his previous struggles at the track.
“We’ve unloaded fast here before, and I’ve ended up in the bushes,” Smith said. “Getting the track record was cool. And we were really good the first half of the race, and then I just couldn’t run the top like they could. I’d get so damn tight getting in and just push up. All in all, it was a good night.
“I raced cars for 15 laps, and then the rest of the race I was racing the track and hitting the marks the best I could.”
Mike Mahaney finished fourth, his sixth top five of the 2025 season. Jack Lehner rounded out the top five after starting 12th.
UP NEXT: The Super DIRTcar Series makes its triumphant return to Georgetown Speedway in Georgetown, DE, for the Delaware Diamond 75 on Saturday, Nov. 1. Drivers will battle in a 75-lap Feature paying $12,075-to-win as part of the track’s Mid-Atlantic Championship weekend.
If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.
Fall Nationals (100 Laps): 1. 88-Mat Williamson[2]; 2. 70A-Alex Payne[11]; 3. 12-Darren Smith[7]; 4. 35-Mike Mahaney[8]; 5. 2-Jack Lehner[12]; 6. 25-Erick Rudolph[3]; 7. 21A-Peter Britten[6]; 8. 4-Anthony Perrego[10]; 9. 98H-Jimmy Phelps[14]; 10. 84Y-Alex Yankowski[15]; 11. 91-Felix Roy[1]; 12. 9S-Matt Sheppard[9]; 13. 83X-Tim Sears Jr[19]; 14. 15X-Justin Stone[4]; 15. 17-Marcus Dinkins[5]; 16. 28-Michael Trautschold[20]; 17. 15B-Brianna Ladouceur[18]; 18. (DNF) 44F-Johnathon Ferguson[13]; 19. (DNF) 124J-Luke Whitteker[23]; 20. (DNF) 17X-Tristan Draper[22]; 21. (DNF) 11-Matt Caprara[16]; 22. (DNF) 88Z-Bobby Herrington[26]; 23. (DNF) 19-Tim Fuller[17]; 24. (DNF) 151KB-Brian McDonald[24]; 25. (DNF) 54-William Racine[21]; 26. (DNS) 6-Matt Stangle
Contingency Awards:
JAM Performance Fastest Hot Lap Award: Matt Sheppard ($100)
Billy Whittaker Cars Quick Time Award: Darren Smith ($100)
VP Racing Fuels Award: Anthony Perrego ($50)
ARP Bolts Award: Mike Mahaney ($50)
ASI Racewear Award: Felix Roy ($50)
Behrent’s Performance Warehouse Award: Mat Williamson ($50)
Cometic Gasket Award: Matt Sheppard ($50)
Comp Cams Award: Felix Roy ($50)
DIG Racing Products: Jimmy Phelps ($50)
Fox Factory Award: Jack Lehner ($50)
MSD Award: Jack Lehner ($50)
Swift Springs Award: Erick Rudolph ($50)
Weld Racing Wheels Award: Alex Payne ($50)
Hoosier Racing Tire Award: Jack Lehner (Free Tire)
SRI Performance/Stock Car Steel Pole Award: Felix Roy ($100)
